Sand In My Shoes
by Sailor J-chanDuoxHilde 4ever
Summary: 18 spent two weeks at Kame House, but now she's home with 17. She's having trouble readjusting, though. It seems she's still got sand in her shoes. Songfic to "Sand In My Shoes" by Dido. Dedicated to Deadly Beauty. R&R, please!


Disclaimer-I don't own DBZ, Revolutionary Girl Utena, or the song

Sand In My Shoes

18 rolled over in her bed as the sun blasted its way into her eyes.

"Ugh." 18 covered her head with her comforter and tried not to turn back in the window's direction. At least at Kame House, they believed in curtains.

Kame House. She couldn't believe that she had spent the last two weeks there, and for no apparent reason. She just up and decided to vacation there. Scared the snot out of Roshi and Oolong, too. Krillin was surprised, but he offered her the guest-room, no questions asked.

Of course, 17 had had millions of questions when she got back, especially "Why there?".

18's answer: "………I don't know.".

__

Two weeks away

Seems like the whole world should've changed

But I'm home now

And things still look the same

She looked at her belongings piled in the corner of her room. Just some things she had taken along with her: some changes of clothes, water bottle, the wrapper of one of those energy bars she had decided to try because everyone promised it tasted good even though it really tasted like chalk. And there was something she had returned with.

It was conch shell necklace. The conch was tiny, but you could still hear the ocean in it. Krillin had given it to her the day she left.

She'd felt like a warm, fuzzy idiot when he gave it to her, and she felt like a warm, fuzzy idiot now when she thought of it.

She could see why Krillin liked Kame House. It was a quiet, serene place. Unlike this trailer, where cars never stopped passing by and animals always scratched at the wall, looking for scraps. 17's dog was a problem, too. 18 infinitely preferred cats, but she allowed the dog to stay. Problem was, the dog wasn't housebroken yet.

She got out of bed and put the conch shell down again.

__

I think I'll leave it 'till tomorrow to unpack

Try to forget for one more night that I'm back

In my flat

On the road where the cars never stop going through the night

"18?"

"Hmm?" 18 had turned around, to see Krillin standing behind her.

"This is for you." He held up his arm for her to see the conch necklace clasped inbetween his fingers.

"It's…" Words failed her. "Thank you." She took it from him.

"I was originally going to give it to Maron, my ex-girlfriend that I told you about. But I'm glad I didn't, because she left me for I don't know how many other men. Since then it's just been sitting around, waiting for someone fit to wear it."

"And I'm fit to wear it?"

"I was going to give it to her because it was natural, and I thought Maron had that natural beauty and natural affection to match it."

"I have natural beauty?"

"18, I think…you're more beautiful than that sunset." He pointed on the horizon, where the red, gold, and pink sunset colors were settling in.

"And natural affection?" 

"18, there's more to you than meets the eye. You're not the ruthless killer people think you are."

18 turned and sat on the sand. "That a fact?"

"That's a truth."

18 thumped the sand with her palm. "Sit, and watch the sunset that I'm more beautiful than with me, then."

"18! You up yet?"

17's voice broke her thoughts.

"I'm up. Hold your horses," she called back.

__

To a life where I can't watch the sunset

I don't have time

I don't have time (Time, time, time, time)

I've still got sand in my shoes

And I can't shake the thought of you

"What held you up?" 17 asked.

"Nothing."

"Don't lie to me, Miss Daydreamer," 17 said. "You're thinking of Cueball, aren't you?"

"Don't call him that," 18 snapped.

"Just forget it, 18. It won't work out. He's too much of a wimp to stand up to his friends. We both know they don't like us."

"He's stronger than you think," 18 snarled.

"Take my advice, sis. Forget him. And now, our favorite part of the day. Time to go hunt up breakfast."

__

I should get on; forget you

But why would I want to?

I know we said good-bye

Anything else would've been confused but I

Wanna see you again

"Look alive, sis! You let that deer run right past you!"

18 brought her thoughts back to Earth and shot an energy beam at the deer, but missed by a long shot.

She didn't understand just how 17 got his kicks out of hunting. It was a boring, tedious, dirty work that just did not make 18 a good bedfellow. She was girly and she was proud of it. She wanted to relax in bed with a yogurt and a book, not hunt for food with her brother, who got like a little kid at Christmas when he was out in the woods. Even fighting was better then this. She could at least make a clean killing.

Though she supposed she didn't have to kill anymore. Even Krillin had told her that.

"I don't mind what everyone else says," Krillin said on that evening when the two of them were watching the sunset, just before she left. "You're not a killer. You just had the bad luck to run into Dr. Gero. It's not your fault."

"I'm glad we killed him," 18 said. 

"I'm glad you did, too. Does that make me a ruthless killer?"

"No!" 18 looked surprised.

"He deserved to die, 18. For what he did to you, for what he did to your brother, for what he did to Goku, and for what he almost did to Earth. We're all glad he's gone. Now, we have to get on with our lives, and you have to stop blaming yourself for what happened to Goku."

"18, what's up with you?" 17 once again broke into her thoughts. "Normally, you just blast whatever moves before you can get mud on your clothes."

"I'm thinking, unlike you, who doesn't have a brain to think with," she said, like a true sister.

"Man." He shook his head. "You're really stuck on him, aren't you?"

"If I am, it's none of your business. You're like Kozue in Revolutionary Girl Utena, that manga I just bought. That obsessive girl who won't let her twin find something that'll make him happy."

"Whoa, whoa, hold up, 18. First of all, NEVER compare me to that crazy girl in that manga you made me read. Second of all, I'm TEASING you. Just chill."

"Well, it's not funny. I'm going back home."

She turned and flew off.

__

Tomorrow's back to work and down to sanity

Should run a bath and then clear up the mess I made before I left here

Try to remind myself that I was happy here

Before I knew that I could get on a plane and fly away

From the road where the cars never stop going through the night

To a life where I can watch the sunset

And take my time

Take all our time (Time, time, time)

I've still got sand in my shoes

And I can't shake the thought of you

I should get on; forget you

But why would I want to?

I know we said good-bye

Anything else would've been confused but I

Wanna see you again

I wanna see you again

I wanna see you again

18 banged the door open to the trailer and stomped to her room. She slammed her door shut and plopped down, hard, on her bed.

"Brothers suck," she said conclusively.

She went to her pile of belongings and started to clean up. She threw her clothes in the basket that served as her hamper. She threw out the water bottle and the wrapper to the chalky-tasting energy bar. And then she picked up the conch shell.

It was truly beautiful. Then inside was smooth and light pink, with swirls of purple. The outside was dark purple line running along the grooves. The ridge—that part you pressed against your skin when you listened to the ocean—was lined with small, pearl-white bumps, perfectly spaced.

She turned it in her hand, watching the sunlight catch it.

She put it around her neck, then went to the kitchen to find a pencil and a piece of paper.

__

Two weeks away

All it takes

To change and turn me around

I've fallen

I walked away

And never said

That I wanted to see you again

"18?" 17 called as he entered the house. He had caught nothing. Her attitude this morning was distracting him.

He saw the note on the table. He picked it up and read it.

-17

I'm going back to Kame House. I probably won't be back for a long time. I'll contact you periodically to let you know how I'm doing. I took all my stuff, so don't worry about having to bring it over.

-18

PS Train that dog! _

17 put the note back on the table and shook his head. "Sisters," he said. "How annoying."

__

I've still got sand in my shoes

And I can't shake the thought of you

I should get on; forget you

But why would I want to?

I know we said good-bye

Anything else would've been confused but I

Wanna see you again

"18?"

"I'm back, Krillin," 18 said. "And I think we should give it a go."

"18…" But he was cut off as she lifted him up by the shirt and kissed him full out.

"There." She put him down. "How was that?"

"That was…wow."

"Never knew I was a good kisser. Thanks for letting me know. Now, is that guest room still empty?"

"Yeah."

"Mind if I move back in?" She wiggled her suitcase with her toes. "Brought my stuff."

"Go right ahead." 

He smiled at her, and she smiled back. Then, she picked up her suitcase and went into the house.

__

I've still got sand in my shoes (I wanna see you again)

And I can't shake the thought of you

I should get on; forget you (I wanna see you again)

But why would I want to?

I know we said good-bye

Anything else would've been confused but I

Wanna see you again

I wanna see you again

I wanna see you again

Hi! I'm back! I've been dead to DBZ for a while (Because Gundam Wing is infinitely better) but I'm coming 'round! I'll probably start updating again soon!

BTW, this one's for Deadly Beauty!

REVIEW!!


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